Process of dyeing panama hats



Patented Dec. 8, 1942 PROCESS OF DYEING PANAMA HATS Henry Milton Bentley, Brooklyn, N. Y., assignor to R. H. Comey Company, Inc., Brooklyn, N. Y., a corporation of New York No Drawing. Application May 24, 1940, Serial No. 337,083

3 Claims.

' is an object of the present invention to provide a process whereby the penetration of the dye is such that chafing on the surface of the hat fiber will not cause as noticeable a change in the color of the hat at that point.

While the invention particularly concerns itself 1 with the dyeing of Panama hats made of toquilla fiber, it is also possible to use this process on other types of fibers. Thus it will be seen that all straws would be affected in a similar manner when subjected to this process.

Th problem of securing the desired evenness and penetration of dyes has been the subject of experiment for some years. Various solutions of salts, alcohols, and other solvents were tried under various conditions of temperature and for various periods of time, but until the use of glycerine none had been entirely satisfactory.

When dyeing hats of a light shade, it is usually desirable first to bleach the hat. The toquilla fibers in particular are not always uniform in color and bleaching makes them more. uniform and capable of lighter shading. If, however, the style should demand irregular colored hats, no bleaching would be necessary. This is done by the ordinary methods, usually using hydrogen peroxide as a bleaching agent. If the hats are intended to be dyed a darker color, it is not usually necessary to bleach them. The fiber not bleached, however, is usually washed to remove any foreign matter from the surface of the fiber. For this purpose soap solutions may be used, but it has been found preferable to use one of the commercial cleaning agents like Gardinol or Naconol, the former stated to be sodium salts of sulphated higher fatty alcohols, and the latter, sodium alkyl aryl sulphonates.

For the purpose of insuring the best evenness and penetration, it is preferable to dry the Washed or bleached hats, although this is not essential.

The drying is ordinarily carried out in an open drying room at about 40 C. but may be carried out in a drier, preferably at a temperature not exceeding about 45 C.

A bath of glycerine in water is now prepared.

It is preferable to use about 2% of glycerine, but solutions of from 1%-4% have been used and variations from this are contemplated by the invention. Hats placed in the bath while still wet from the bleaching may require more glycerine than dry ones. The solution is heated and maintained preferably at a temperature of between 50 and 100 C. for a period of from fifteen minutes to perhaps 6 hours. It is not injurious and may sometimes be convenient to leave the hats in th bath overnight. It has sometimes been found advantageous to add to this solution a small amount (preferably 1% to 4%) of sulphonated castor oil, commonly called Turkey Red Oil, but this is not essential. Those hats which are to be dyed a darker shade are usually kept in the bath a longer tim and at a higher temperature than those which are-to be dyed a light shade.

The hats are now transferred to a dye'bath or the dye may be added directly to the glycerine bath. Most dyes on th market may be used, such as acid, basic, celanese, and direct in accordance with the need for color, shading, etc. In some cases the hats may be then dyed in another dye bath with a different type of dye than used in the first bath. It is also possible to treat hats which have already been dyed, in a boiling glycerine bath to even up the dye in them. By way of illustration, I set forth the following examples of the process:

Example 1 Bleached toquilla fiber hats are placed dry in a bath of the following composition:

Water at 82 C liters 30 Glycerine cc 740 Sodium chloride grams Mixed celanese and direct yellow dye.

Example 2 Natural toquilla fiber hats are washed to remove dirt and then placed without drying into a solution of the following composition:

Liters Water at 60 C 72 Glycerine 1.4

The hats are kept in this bath for several hours. A cocoa colored mixed celanese and direct dye is Example 3 Bleached or washed toquilla fiber is placed in a boiling bath of the following composition:

Liters Water 100 Glycerine 4 Sulphonated castor oil 4 The bath is boiled for minutes, at which time a celanese dye is added and the fiber further boiled with additions of dye until the desired shade is obtained. The fiber may then be removed and immersed in another bath of a direct or basic dye and subsequently dried. The dye may be added before the first boiling.

While I have described specific embodiments of my invention by way of illustration, it is understood that I am not confined to the exact steps, reagents, or proportions as they are illustrative and typical but not limiting.

Having thus described the invention, what is claimed as new and desired to be secured by Letters Patent is:

1. A process for the dyeing of Panama hats, toquilla fiber, and materials of similar fiber structure, which includes the steps of treating a quantity of the material in a bath containing water and 1% to 4% glycerine at a temperature of between and C. and then dyeing the material without washing, rinsing, or drying it between the glycerine treatment and the dyeing step.

2. A process for the dyeing of Panama hats, toquilla fiber, and materials of similar fiber structure, which includes the steps of boiling a quantity of the material in a. bath containing water and 1% to 4% glycerine, and then dyeing the material without washing, rinsing, or drying it between the glycerine treatment and the dyeing step.

3. A process for the dyeing of Panama hats, toquilla fiber, and materials of similar fiber structure, which includes the steps of treating a quantity oi the material in a bath containing water, 1% to 4% glycerine and 1% to 4% sulphonated castor oil at a temperature of between 50 and 100 C., and then dyeing the material without washing, rinsing, or drying it between the glycerine treatment and the dyeing step.

HENRY MILTON BENTLEY. 

